


Telltale Signs

by smooth_operaptor



Series: we're gonna need a bigger boat [3]
Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Not Kayfabe Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-12 23:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9095776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smooth_operaptor/pseuds/smooth_operaptor
Summary: Gable is in it over his head the first day he met Jason. The poor fucker.Selected from "24 Signs Someone Likes You More Than Just a Friend"





	1. No. 5

**Author's Note:**

> Yo thanks for reading I love yall so much :)  
> This is unbeta-ed and I wrote this all today.  
> No idea when more is gonna, come I have other fics I work on, but I love my two beautiful sons too much to abandon this.  
> I won't do every of the 24 signs thatd be madness (some of them are too fcking stupid) but I'm gonna try a few/as many as I can  
> Guten Rutsch!

Jason was so not used to this. In a good way. Not used to this in a good way.

It had been so long since he'd had regular matches on NXT that it took him some time to adjust. In a good way. Took him some time to adjust in a good way.

After he and Tye parted ways a couple months back he'd often doubted himself to the point where he just wanted to quit WWE altogether.

He couldn't. He was too proud of a person to give up and leave. He would fight harder, earn opportunities and prove once and for all that he was worth to be called a superstar. Even if that seemed like a faraway dream then.

Now, he had Gable.

And now, they were on tv, or the network or whatever, just not at house shows as a jobber anymore. He had nothing against jobbers, like anyone he appreciated their work and dedication, just - _he_ didn't want to be one. He was always slightly shocked every time they got to wrestle on camera. In a good way. Shocked in a good way.

Things were way good with Gable and he would mentally scold his past self for being so goddamn oblivious if things hadn't turned out alright in the end. And that was what mattered, right? That things were finally alright?

More than alright, even. Not only did he find a decent enough partner to tag with, he found an amazing partner to tag with. And win every match with. And have unbelievable in-ring chemistry with. And be friends with.

Someone who inspired him to work harder. Someone who made him better.

If Jason weren't so focused on his job and social standing, he would have recognized the signs of his crush right then and there. But, as it went, he was so far in denial that he was practically in Uganda.

Same thing couldn't be said for Gable, though.

 

5\. They make excuses to be with you alone

"Man, this takes some getting used to. It's been a long time", Jason said while he toweled off after their latest match. They had established an after-match routine early into their partnership. Celebrate for the cameras, do any scheduled backstage interviews, head to the locker room, shower, change and somewhere in between, Jason would always express either his relief, his gratitude or his surprise that they made it so far.

He thought it might get annoying for Gable after some time, but the other only smiled, nodded and maybe gave him a thumbs up or a quick joke if he had enough energy left.

He also thought (feared) Gable would take his comments as a sign for his lack of trust. That he didn't believe in them and only waited for the other shoe to drop so he could tell Gable I told you so. How often did Jason want to take his words back after he said them. He wanted to make it clear that he loved being his partner, that he was as committed to the team as Gable was.

Gable understood. Even without the explaining. He just knew. 

Maybe Jason overthought things. He picked them apart and examined them from every angle until he convinced himself that everything would go wrong. Okay, he definitively overthought things. He overthought overthinking right now.

He had been staring and standing for quite some time, pondering, but when Gable answered, he was snapped back to reality.

"Yeah, you and me both, man", he said with a bright grin.

"Oh, JJ? You coming to the party later?", he added. It was more a "fun alcoholic coworkers' get-together" as Bayley called it once, but that name was way too long.

"Uhm, yeah, sure, why not?" Jason realized this would be the first time he'd go with Gable and got stupidly excited. Outside of work they hadn't really been able to hang out yet, although they were fast friends. Jason was usually too tired at the end of the day and they saw each other at work all the time anyway. Still, this was a good a chance as any to let lose and have some fun together.

In the end, it was a pretty fun night. He been meaning to talk with his friends for a bit, maybe share some stories or gossip, as one does, but eventually, he and Gable ended up in a secluded booth in the bar to discuss their favorite wrestlers and angles undisturbed. You see, it was just too noisy by the others and they didn't need to hear _their_ opinions. They were doing just fine on their own. Who cared if they got smirks and eyebrow waggles directed at them from the others all night. 

\---

"Alright, so who", Finn hiccuped, "who gets us the next round?"

Silence. NXT didn't really pay enough for any of them to be too generous and they were probably only halfway through the night.

"Okie-dokie, well, you were so kind to let us drink with you the last few weeks, so I guess, this one's on me and Jason", Gable said. He determinedly slapped one hand onto the table and stood up swiftly. He offered the other to Jason.

"You coming with?"

\---

Jason stood with Tom Phillips and Bull Dempsey in a hallway. It was as fun as it sounded. He had nothing against both men personally, but they only knew each other in passing. It didn't make for a particularly engaging conversation.

Just then, Gable rounded the corner and stood next to Jason. They smiled at each other. Gable made a valiant effort to look interested in the topic (the advantages of singlets as ring wear), but Jason could tell he was getting anxious. Gable rapidly tapped his fingers on his thigh and began chewing his lip.

"Welp, as enlightening as this was, gentlemen, and I really understand where you're coming from, I'm afraid I gotta take Jason and leave now", Gable announced.

He took Jason by the arm lightly and strode towards the locker rooms.

"What's up, Gable? Anything important?", Jason asked him as they entered.

"Nope. Nothing. Oh wait yeah! Look at this, the new towels came! I hoped they'd arrive in time for our match tomorrow and look at this! They're so sick!"

Gable told him the specifications of the towels (100% cotton and it's embroidered by hand!), the color schemes (what about teal? How do you feel about magenta text?) and ideas for further merch (do we need a catch phrase for you? ...hmm "Don't cross Jordan or you'll be crossing Jordan"? Nah, too long. I should write that one down though that's Grade A promo material - now where's my pen?) and on the surface, it was about as interesting as the ring wear talk, but honestly, it was a dozen times more enjoyable when it was just Gable.

Jason smiled to himself. A private, fond smile, that wormed its way out from a dark, secluded corner of his heart and made itself comfortable on his face as if to say "buckle up, buddy, I'm here to stay". In a good way. The smile became a sign for something more in a good way.


	2. No. 15 & No. 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> forgot to include a link to the article before! [here it is](http://reluv.co/24-signs-someone-likes-you-more-than-just-a-friend/)  
> can't belive how quick I'm getting these out. wow  
> anyone see that brooklyn nine-nine reference?  
> also sorry I really couldn't resist that universal title joke. I didn't even try.  
> these chapters aren't really chronological, each one is a collection of related moments. although the more serious stuff (aka when they finally get together) will rightfully come later in-story and in time  
> (I appreciate both feedback and praise hin hint)  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter andyou have a nice day~

15\. They talk about you a lot to their friends  
3\. They don't refer to you as a friend

"...and the dogs are all fine. I'll just be a couple days away and my coworkers know how to handle them."

"Wow, that's _great!_ Can't believe you started at that shelter over a year ago. So much has happened, it feels like a few months at most."

"Yeah, and I heard you're a professional wrestler now? Won any matches yet? Won any _championships_ yet?"

"Oh, stop it. I've debuted like two months ago. Nobody wins any championships that fast."

"That shouldn't stop you little bro. You got into the Olympics, you can do anything. I bet you're gonna beat up that Cena dude and become champion of the universe in no time."

"I'm not even on the main roster yet! And there's no such thing as a "champion of the universe"! That's ridiculous, how would that even work? Besides, I'm in a tag team. I won't win singles titles anytime soon. Frankly, I am appalled, I am disgusted that you don't know anything about me or my job! Dishonor on you, dishonor on your family, dishonor on your co-"

"No need to be such a drama queen, Chad. Chill out and take a deep breath, Chad. And really, "dishonor on my family"? You do know that includes you, right?" 

"Uhm..." 

"Wow, a self-burn. Those are rare. But, now that I'm on vacation, I swear I'll catch up on...everything I guess. Or maybe I'll just wait 'til we see each other tomorrow. I'm pretty sure you'll tell me everything you think is important anyway. Ha, two birds one stone. You always were such a blabbermouth."

"I'm not a blabbermouth, you doofus."

"Are too. Anyway... so you mentioned you're in a tag team? That means you beat up people with another guy, right?"

"Yeah."

"So? What's he like? Do you work well together? Does he understand you're a huge dork? Is _he_ a huge dork?"

"JJ is- JJ is awesome. I think he was kinda annoyed by me at first-"

"As he should."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, continue."

"-but we're close friends now. He used to be an amateur wrestler too and he's worked for the company for a few years already and we play basketball together and he's really strong. I think that he likes my jokes and that he's come around on these sick towels that I have now..."

"Chad?"

"Yeah, Danny?"

"You really like him, don't you?"

"Yup."

"Bring him with you when we meet, okay? See ya, love you, bye!"

"Um, you too. Bye."

Great. Even his sister could see it. All he could hope for was that she didn't give Jason the shovel talk right then and there in the restaurant.

\---

Thankfully, the dinner had gone over without a hitch and Danny hadn't gone overboard with her suggestive comments. It was either a miracle or a tragedy JJ still hadn't picked up on any of it.

It was a few days later, his sister back in Minnesota at the animal shelter. He was out with some of his friends that were in town for the week because of their jobs.

He would have taken JJ, but he had a medical check-up that kept him a bit longer at the performance center. He would have stayed with JJ, but the other man told him he should go alone and reconnect with his friends, they didn't have to spend every waking second with each other. He would have argued with JJ, but they hardly ever argued anymore and he didn't want to break that streak. He'd see the other man soon enough anyway.

Now they were sitting in a bar. He and three other guys from his high school's wrestling team. It had been so long since he saw them all. Jimmy was a truck driver now. Rob was a trainer at a martial arts school. Steve had enlisted.

They had so much to tell each other and he _was_ excited to see them again. He just couldn't stop thinking about Jason. He stared into his glass. This was normally JJ's drink when they went out, but he wasn't able to stop himself and ordered it instead of his usual one. He'd waved away the bartender's raised eyebrow and suggestive smirk. He wasn't really up for talking.

He forced himself to listen to the others' stories and smiled when the situation called for it. It wasn't their fault he felt shitty.

"-so I mostly work in sanitation, although my superiors want me in the reserves. I just don't want to, is the thing. I mostly enlisted out of financial troubles, I hope I never have to hurt another person _ever_ ", Steve finished.

"Hear, hear", Jimmy said and raised his glass.

"So Chad. Tell us about yourself. Not many times we meet someone famous", Rob said and winked. The others turned in their seats and looked at Chad. What was he even supposed to tell them? A lot had happened and there was no one way to go about this. He couldn't boil down the last few years of his life to a succinct story like the others had.

"Uhmm. Well, as you know I'm a pro wrestler now. After the Olympics I kinda treaded water for a bit, but now I live here in Florida and I'm having the time of my life, sorta? Me and my close friend - his name's Jason but I call him JJ - we're a tag team and I think this could really go somewhere", he told them, eyes bright with excitement by the end.

"They are drawing comparisons to The World's Greatest Tag Team", he admitted as he felt a blush rising. They'd all been wrestling fans since before they even met. It was a loaded comparison and it was bold to speak it out loud. He didn't want them to think he'd become undeservedly conceited.

"Woah, that's awesome, man! Always knew you had it in you. I see you more as a Kurt Angle type of guy, though", Jimmy said immediately.

"Tell us more, I need something to gossip about", Steve chimed in.

"Yeah, and what's the deal with your friend? Do you make a good team? Is he strong?", Rob asked him, his interest piqued.

"This is gonna be a long night", Chad thought before he launched himself into a long gushing monologue. If his adoration was water, they'd have been soaked instantly, drowning the whole city shortly after.

\---

"May I help you with anything?", the store clerk asked him. Either this person had given up on life and was running on customer-service-auto-pilot, or they hid their impatience behind a convincing wall of politeness.

It was nearly midnight and Chad stood in the lonely isle of a deserted gas station. He blinked a few times against the fluorescent light that aggressively stabbed at his eyeballs. He'd been up since 4 am that day and he must have zoned out.

"No, sorry. I'm just waiting 'til my partner found some cooling packs... should be any minute now." He was aware how he'd just referred to Jason, but he was tired, he didn't care what this person thought of him right now, and it felt so, so right, the way the word rolled off of his tongue.

It wasn't even a lie. 'Partner' was a perfectly adequate term to describe JJ. It just lacked the right connotations when anyone else said it.

For a moment, Chad revelled in this small alternate reality he had created with this stranger. A whole history of a relationship that had taken a different turn. For a moment, he _was_ JJ's partner. Romantic styles. For a moment, he was deeply content. Nothing could stop him from calling Jason his boyfriend now, just to see even once how the word tasted.

"Oh, there you are, Gable! Sorry this took a while, there aren't really any signs to go by...", Jason trailed off. He'd rounded the corner and nearly walked into the pair, a bunch of cooling packs piling in his arms.

Chad was disappointed he had to leave his moment so soon, but on the other hand, at least there stood JJ in front of him. He smiled an understated, awkward smile and the lights made him look weirdly greenish and yet Chad's heart skipped a beat when he took in the other man.

"I couldn't find a cashier so if you could just ring me up, me and my friend here will be out of your hair in no time, no worries", Jason told the clerk.

Without a word, they turned and walked towards the front of the shop, Chad and JJ trailing after them. After the intricate process of turning on the register and unlocking various drawers under the counter, they finally sat down to scan their purchase.

"Anything else for you or your... partner?", they asked.

"Oh hey, how'd you know we're a tag team? Gable, did you brag again?" Jason turned to Chad, who just shrugged.

"Nah. Lucky guess", the clerk replied. They shot a meaningful glance at Chad. He looked away guiltily. JJ was too occupied with paying to notice anything.

When they turned to leave, Chad felt a hesitant hand on his arm.

"It gets better", they whispered and nodded in JJ's direction, who was just out the door.

Chad let out a pained sigh before he grimaced a smile at them and followed JJ into the night.


	3. No. 9 & No. 12

9\. They ask about your future plans

It was over.

No, that sounded too dramatic. The tournament was over.

The second semi-final of the first annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was over and they'd lost. Against Corbin and Rhyno of all people.

As they made their way back to the locker room, they could still hear the crowd chanting in the arena. Not for them, of course. They had lost. The audience had already moved on to other people. Though admittedly, they had seemed pretty into it in the moment.

Life was just a series of ups and downs. American Alpha could be the best tag team in the business for all the higher-ups cared. Still they were used as cannon fodder to push someone else. And not even the tournament's winners.

Jason sighed. Maybe with Gable at his side, he would be able to ride the wave. If they could keep the audience on their side, maybe they had a fighting chance.

Who said that was gonna happen, though.

"Hey, look at me", said Gable, "Don't think too hard on what happened back there. Wanna go get drinks with me?"

Usually, they waited around until after the show so they could go out together with some of the other wrestlers, but...

"Sure let's go"

Screw it, he wasn't in the mood for other people at the moment.

\---

They had been too drunk to drive and Jason didn't really want to spend money on an uber, so they ended up at Gable's apartment a couple blocks down from the bar.

Gable nudged open the door and gently pulled Jason after himself. It was pleasantly dark inside, a contrast to the grating lights all the way from the bar to the front door. Gable showed him the way to the living room and scurried off to put away their things. Jason sat down on the couch for a moment to take off his shoes. Without meaning to, he fell asleep.

He woke up. He couldn't say how long he'd slept, only that there was now grey light coming through the curtains. He didn't recognize this apartment. In a moment of panic he sat up and looked around. There, asleep in the armchair, was Gable. Jason calmed down.

"Oh hey JJ. You're up? Everything alright?", Gable whispered as he cracked open his eyes. His position in the armchair looked rather uncomfortable, but he made it work somehow.

"Yeah." Jason cleared his throat. He had a blanket and a pillow. Next to him on the table an aspirin and a glass of water.

"Why aren't you in your bed? You're gonna screw up your neck Chad."

"You were out like a light and I didn't wanna disturb you. And then I thought it'd be better if you knew you were with me and not some stranger when you woke up", Chad said. He sounded timid. That was new.

"That's... oddly touching. Thank you, Chad."

"No problem. Now go back to sleep, JJ."

He lay down again.

"I can't, I'm too awake now."

"Me too."

Jason rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. It was a dirty white and there wasn't that much to look at, but he tried anyway. His thoughts buzzed in his head like white noise. He cleared his throat, sat up and took the aspirin and drank the water. He lay down again. He scratched his arms absentmindedly. Chad was still awake.

"Do you ever wonder if it was a mistake to tag with me?"

"Seriously? That's what's keeping you up?"

"Hm."

"Well, don't worry. I've made it my mission to become champions with you. Until then, you ain't gonna get rid of me. You hear that?", Chad said with fervor. Whispered fervor because he didn't dare to disrupt the quiet, but still.

"Huh."

"So stop it. When I came to the WWE, I chose to work with _you_. Nothing will change that. I think...", Chad said, "I think you're great."

Jason could hear the smile in Chad's voice. He said nothing.

"JJ?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"What are your plans for the future?"

"Well, I wanna-"

"And I don't mean becoming a champion. I know that already. Something outside of work."

That took him off-guard. Most of their conversations circled back to wrestling.

"Um, lemme think. Maybe move somewhere close to my family. I want to see them more often. Get a dog, maybe. Become a wrestling coach..."

"No", Chad snorted, "Or whatever, cool, that sounds real nice, but... what about dating?" If Jason had been any less sleepy, he would have recognized Chad's overly nonchalant tone immediately.

"Nah man, nothing's come up yet. Besides, I've got you, right? That should be enough." Jason shrugged, knowing full well Chad couldn't see that.

A sigh from Chad. He couldn't tell if it was meant to be happy or sad. "Yeah. You got me."

They drifted off to sleep soon enough.

 

12\. They remember important dates

After a long workout in the oppressive August heat, Jason came into the locker room to find a bottle of cold water on the bench in front of his locker. It wasn't his. When he picked it up, he noticed the post-it. Written in a familiar handwriting it said:

  _yo JJ one month ago we won our 1. match ;)_

He huffed in irritation (he was too out of breath to speak). 

"JJ who? That's not my name!", he thought. He pulled the note away from the bottle and saw the other side.

  _thx for ur trust and that we're still a team_

Honestly, the nerve of this guy. Now he couldn't be mad at him.

... JJ as a nickname wasn't that bad.

\---

On his birthday it was an extra long hug and a small, low-fat birthday cake. "Happy Birth" it said in big, yellow letters.

"I baked it myself", Gable said full of pride, "I ran out of space at the end though. So, sorry."

Jason carefully put the cake back in its box. With his head, he nodded toward the door and gestured for Gable to come with him. They were in catering. None of the others had discovered the cake yet and he didn't want to share. Wrestlers are a hungry horde.

"Sorry for that. I uh, I really love the cake, thank you", he told Gable as soon as they were outside, "It's just, the others-"

"Yeah, I know."

"Yeah."

They found a bench nearby and sat down. Jason put the cake between them on the bench and took out two forks he'd snagged from catering.

"Wanna share?", he asked. Gable looked delighted.

It was worth the wait. The cake didn't taste half bad and he was moved that Gable had went to such lengths for his birthday. Gable told him the whole story, from the conception of the idea to finding the right box for transport. Soon, all there was left of the cake was some cream on Gable's nose and Jason was in stitches. What did he do to deserve this? He couldn't believe he was so lucky.

\---

It was the late afternoon on a lazy Sunday in November. He was lounging around on his couch when he got the call.

"Hey Chad", he said without looking at the caller ID.

"Hey JJ, what're you doing?"

"Nothing man, what's up?"

"Oh, well, I just did some math and... oh sorry, this is stupid."

"No, go on."

"Well, according to my super smart calculations, the first time we officially met on NXT was on May 27th."

"Aaand?"

"That's exactly six months ago, dude! Happy anniversary!"

"Uhm, yeah... you too. But is that really how you wanna count it? We met each other a long time before that and the show was recorded sooner too, I think."

"Don't ruin this for me, JJ! I just wanted to cheer you up a bit. And you should be thanking me, otherwise if I told you how long ago it actually was you'd feel pretty old", he sounded like he pouted. What a freaking baby.

"You're two and a half years older than me, this is stupid."

"Ok, you got me there", Gable paused for a beat, "Wanna hang out and watch the Chronicles of Narnia with me?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

"I'm on my way."

"Alright, see you in ten", Jason said and went to hang up.

"No!", Chad shouted, "I mean, I'm literally on my way. I'm coming up to your apartment right now. Please open the door."

Jason laughed in disbelief and went to let Chad in. What did he do to deserve this dork?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeaaa boyyyyy I did it! another chapter!!  
> So guess how many Alpha videos I watched on youtube as inspiration. It was at least three.  
> They are very very precious and friendship #goals. ugh they make me happy  
> thank you for reading let me know what y'all think  
> have a nice day~


End file.
